Faculty and Staff Spotlights

George Matheou’s Art on Display at the National Academy of Sciences

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Clouds strongly interact with solar radiation and as a result small changes in cloud cover have big impact on the Earth’s surface temperature. Currently, the effects of clouds are one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate projections.

Georgios Matheou, associate professor of mechanical engineering, stands by his video projection at the National Academy of Sciences. The exhibit, “Chaosmosis: Assigning Rhythm to the Turbulent” is on display through Feb. 23.

Recent computer technology, however, is enabling scientists and engineers to create cloud simulations in controlled environments.

Georgios Matheou, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Manufacturing Engineering, is using a mathematical model called large-eddy simulation to replicate cloud physics and create cloud models. These simulations help improve weather forecasts and climate projections while contributing to the field of fluid dynamics—a discipline that describes the flow of liquids and gases.

Read more in the UConn Today article.

Chih-Jen (Jackie) Sung receives the Prestigious 2024 AIAA Energy Systems Award

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Chih-Jen SungProf. Jackie Sung was awarded the 2024 AIAA Energy Systems Award for his significant contribution in the broad field of energy systems, and specifically for his outstanding contributions to flame dynamics and low-temperature chemistry for developing fuel-flexible, ultra-low emission, efficient combustion energy systems using conventional and alternative fuels.

He will be recognized during the 2024 AIAA SCITECH Forum, 8-12 January 2024 in Orlando, FL. The prestigious award is sponsored by the AIAA Terrestrial Energy Systems.

Dr. Sung’s research and teaching interests have included structure of chemically reacting flow, catalytic combustion, micro-propulsion, laser diagnostics, supersonic combustion, unsteady and high-pressure flame phenomena, soot and NOx formation, flame extinction and ignition, development of detailed and reduced chemical kinetic models, alternative fuel utilization and combustion, and clean combustion technology. His research is funded by various federal and industrial sponsors. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Combustion Institute, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and a member of the Editorial Board for Combustion Theory and Modelling.

UConn ME selected by NASA to Develop Moon to Mars Mission Design Ideas

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UCONN has been selected as one of six universities to participate in NASA’s 2022 Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab) Challenge. NASA’s selection, in partnership with the National Space Grant Foundation, will develop innovative design ideas that will help NASA advance and execute its Moon to Mars exploration objectives. 

This year’s winning M2M X-Hab Challenge teams will design, manufacture, assemble, test, and demonstrate functional prototype subsystems and innovations that enable increased functionality for human space exploration missions.

Profs. Vito Moreno and Jason Lee are leading the charge at UCONN in collaboration with Jorge Paricio Garcia and Ed Weingart, the Co-Directors of the UCONN Krenicki Arts and Engineering Institute, Patrick Kumavor (Biomedical Engineering), and Christopher Sancomb (Art/Industrial Design). The multidisciplinary concepts that they submitted will be developed into proof of concept 1/6-G suited prototypes to be applied in field environments. The first design will use weather balloons and drones and associated control and feedback software with a wearable harness. The weather balloon will offset the analog astronaut’s weight, while the drone and sensors will fine-tune responses to movements, produce a lifting force needed to simulate reduced gravity, and keep the balloon hovering above the astronaut. The second design, using the NASA ARGOS concept as a base, will incorporate a mobile platform that moves with the individual, and a counterweight system to simulate reduced gravity. Both projects will be an important element of the Senior Design projects for the departments of Mechanical Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering in collaboration with the Industrial Design and Fine Arts programs. A diverse student team will also work with Aquiline Drones (Hartford) and Wallingford K-12 Public School’s Center for Innovation and Design: An Aerospace Experience to Mars.

Prof. Pierce joins the Editorial Board of the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

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Dr. David M. Pierce, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, has been named Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. This archival journal reports research results involving the application of mechanical engineering principles to the improvement of human health. The scope of relevant topics ranges from basic biology to biomedical applications and includes theoretical, computational, experimental, and clinical studies.

The driving interest of his research is to understand and predict the mechanics of soft tissues and engineering materials. His current work employs theoretical, computational, and experimental tools to explore the interplay of form and function in cartilage, specifically the multiscale and multi-phase mechanics and how these evolve in health, damage, and disease. Dr. Pierce is a 2017 NSF CAREER awardee and a United Technologies Corporation Professor in Engineering Innovation in the School of Engineering. He also serves as a Journal Referee for over 50 peer-reviewed, academic journals.

Tianfeng Lu elected as a Combustion Institute (CI) Fellow

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We are proud to announce that Mechanical Engineering Professor Tianfeng Lu has been recognized as one of the 2021 Class of Fellows for The Combustion Institute.

Prof. Lu joins a class of 32 accomplished international scholars from industry, academia, and the public sector, and was recognized for “the development of computationally efficient and accurate methods for the systematic, efficient and massive reduction of large reaction mechanisms.”

Dr. Lu received his B.S. and MS degrees in 1994 and 1997 respectively, both in Engineering Mechanics and both from Tsinghua University, followed by his Ph.D. degree in 2004 from Princeton University in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He joined UConn as an Assistant Professor in August 2008 after spending 4 years in research positions at Princeton. His research focuses on computational combustion with special interests in reduced chemical kinetics, stiff chemistry solvers, and computational diagnostics of laminar and turbulent flames.

Prof. George Matheou recognized with a University Level Teaching Excellence Award

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“I Hear and I Forget, I See and I Remember, I Do and I Understand”
(attributed to Confucius, 551 BC to 479 BC)

In addition to his ability to solve significant societal and environmental problems using computational science, Prof. George Matheou is no stranger to educational innovations that explore new ways to involve students in the learning process. In fact his pedagogical innovations have been formally recognized by the University Teaching Innovation Award from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Connecticut. See also his innovative exhibit @ the Benton Museum of Art that blends art and science with innovative pedagogical activities.

Congratulations, Prof. Matheou!